Decide fast on Huawei CEO plea: Delhi HC to trial court

The Delhi High Court has directed a lower court to decide “as expeditiously as possible” on a plea of Li Xiongwei, chief executive officer of Huawei Telecommunications (India), seeking quashing of a look-out circular issued against him by the income-tax department.

A look-out circular, or LOC, prevents a person from travelling abroad. Authorities use it to prevent people accused in criminal cases from fleeing the country.

The trial court “shall consider the application for cancellation of the look-out circular as well as for permission to travel abroad in accordance with law”, the HC held while granting Li the liberty to approach the trial court. “In the event such an application is filed before the trial court within a week, the same shall be disposed of as expeditiously as possible, preferably within four weeks,” it said in a ruling passed earlier this week.